


The Veil

by fanoftheimagines



Series: Umbrella Academy Fics [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Child Abuse, Gen, Graphic Depictions of Past Child Abuse, Number Eight!Reader, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Past Child Abuse, Platonic Relationships, Protective Siblings, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanoftheimagines/pseuds/fanoftheimagines
Summary: You were walking to the store when you saw your long lost brother Five appear out of nowhere.On Hold.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Reader, Klaus Hargreeves & Reader, Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy) & Reader
Series: Umbrella Academy Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1785244
Comments: 6
Kudos: 82





	1. Wasteland

**Author's Note:**

> Reader Gender: Gender Neutral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were walking to the store when you saw your long lost brother, Five, appear out of nowhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Apocalypse, death  
> 1x01  
> A/N: I’m really excited for Season 2, so I thought I’d write some TUA fics.

It was a normal Saturday afternoon. An intense snowstorm raged on outside. All you wanted to do was stay home and relax, but, lucky for you, you were in desperate need of groceries. So, with a heavy sigh and lots of layers, you set out for the store.

The white snow blurred as it came down in big flakes. You were walking down the street when a blue plane appeared in front of you. Your heart stopped. Your breath hitched. It couldn’t be…

A young boy appeared from the plane. His back was to you, but he looked just like he did the day he disappeared. He let his arms fall to his side as he looked around.

“Five?” You called.

He didn’t hear you and kept walking. He looked back. Holy shit, it was him…

You started running, trying to catch up to him. He didn’t notice you and kept walking. Just as you caught up to him, he broke out into a run. You grabbed his arm. You weren’t about to let him disappear again. He pulled you forward as he jumped.

Suddenly, the world was on fire. He stopped immediately. You let go of his arm and stumbled back in shock. Five spun around frantically.

He stopped when he saw you. “Who are you?”

“Y/N.” You replied, eyes wide. 

“Y/N?” You nodded and pulled off your coat. The heat of the fires was sweltering. “What… what happened?”

“I don’t know.” You looked around. You’d always wondered what happened to your brother. Now you know.

Five looked back toward where the Academy was. Then, he started sprinting in that direction. “Five!” You shouted as you followed him.

The Academy was gone. The building was practically demolished. A fire raged inside the ruins. Five stood in front of the gates.

“Vanya!” He yelled. There was no reply. “Ben! Dad! Anyone!” No response.

“I don’t think anyone’s here.” You said solemnly. A sudden wave of nausea hit you. You didn’t say what you really meant. _I don’t think anyone survived_.

Five grabbed your hand and desperately tried to use his powers. A blue plane formed around his hands, but this time, it creaked and groaned. “No!” He tried again. “Come on!” Nothing changed. “Shit…” He whispered, finally letting his hands fall to his sides.

He fell to his knees. Tears streamed down his cheeks. As much as you wanted to cry at the prospect of being stuck there, you couldn’t. Five was only a child. He needed you to be strong. Quickly, you wiped away your tears and pulled Five into a hug.

He clung to your shoulders and pushed his face into your neck. Wet tears hit your skin as he sobbed. Soothingly, you rubbed his back.

“It’ll be okay, Five.” You whispered. “We’ll be okay.”

* * *

You and Five had been scavenging the area. Five dragged a red wagon with a few smaller things and a mannequin he named Delores. You’d taken your coat off and put it and your other winter things inside your backpack. You followed Five under a fallen street lamp. Suddenly, he stopped.

“What?” You followed his line of sight.

There was a gloved hand sticking up out of the rubble. It was holding a bloody eye. He walked over to it and pulled it from the hand’s grip. You joined him. It was clearly a prosthetic. Huh. Then, you both leaned over to see the person’s face.

Your hands flew to your mouth as you gasped. Luther. Oh god. That was Luther. He was older, but it was him. You looked around frantically. The others had to be there too.

“Who is it?” Five asked, looking up at you.

You shook your head and tried to pull him away. “You don’t need to see.”

“No, who is it?” He pulled his arm out of your grasp.

“Five…” He looked over to the left and paused. More bodies lay in the rubble. He started to walk over to them. “Five, please. I’m telling you this is a bad idea.”

He ignored you and kept walking. Allison and Diego were under the rubble.

“Oh god…” Tears were streaming down your face.

Five shook him. No response. You walked over and knelt next to Diego’s body. Carefully, you pressed your fingers against his neck. Please, please, please let there be a pulse. His skin was cold.

“Damnit.” You mumbled.

Five got up and walked around the pile of rubble. Then, he stopped.

“Five?” You called and walked over to him. He stood in shock, his face slack with disbelief and sadness. You turned to see what he was looking at.

Klaus was lying face down. His sleeve pushed up and his Umbrella Academy tattoo clearly shown. You quickly grabbed Five and pulled him into your side so he wasn’t looking.

* * *

Living in the apocalypse was hard. Especially when you were taking care of a young boy. But, you were managing.

You lived on scraps. Cockroaches, canned foods, anything really. Five even attempted to eat a Twinkie once, despite your warnings. Yeah, he got sick.

It wasn’t all bad though. You missed Five and it was nice actually spending time with your family. Every night, you built a fire and would talk.

“What happened after I left?” He asked one night.

You handed him the can of baked beans. “Dad got worse. To him, you were a failure. A reason to listen to him and train harder.” You sighed and picked at the fire. “Ben…” You choked up on his name and closed your eyes. “He… um… He died.”

You looked over at Five. Tears were pooling in his eyes. “How?”

You shook your head. “You don’t want to know.” You sighed and looked down at your hands. “After Ben, it was like the family fell apart. Everyone left. Allison went off to be a movie star. Diego joined – and dropped out of – the police academy. Vanya stopped talking to me. And Klaus… well, his drug addiction got worse. I haven’t seen most of them in years.”

“What about Luther?”

“He stayed at the Academy.”

“What about you?” He asked, handing you the can back.

You paused. “Well, I started working at a book store. Got myself an apartment. Nothing too exciting.” You ate a spoonful of beans.

The two of you sat in silence for the rest of the meal. Like always, you made sure Five ate more than you.

When the can was empty, you set it aside and stood up. You pulled a ratty sleeping bag from the wagon and spread it out on some semi-even step you’d been sitting on. “You should get some rest, Five. I’ll keep an eye out.”

He gave you a small sad smile and crawled over to you. The fire crackled as he settled down. He laid his head on your lap and closed his eyes. With one hand, you poked the fire and tried to keep it aflame. You ran your other hand through his hair. His breathing eventually leveled out as he fell asleep.

The dark ruins of the world around you weren’t comforting. You took a deep breath and allowed a force field to form around your little camp. Five slept safe at your side. He looked so relaxed like this. He’d been through so much in the past week. He’d been so tired and stressed. It made your heart ache. You swore you were going to protect him no matter what.

* * *

Everyone sat around the kitchen table and watched as Five put down a cutting board. Their faces were slack with shock. Five’s oversized suit made him look a lot smaller than he was. It was strange seeing him so young again.

It was strange being young again too. Your hands weren’t wrinkly, scabbed, and calloused like they had been. And while you couldn’t see yourself in a mirror, you figured what happened to Five happened to you and you regressed to the age when you disappeared.

You were sitting next to Ben on the countertop. It was really nice seeing him again. And the others.

“So, are we gonna talk about what just happened?” Luther asked. Five didn’t respond, just kept making his sandwich. Suddenly, Luther stood up. You stood on instinct. “It’s been 17 years.”

Five scoffed. “It’s been a lot longer than that.” Then, he spatial jumped over to the stove.

“Where’d you go?” Diego asked.

“The future.” Five spatial jumped back over to the table. “It’s shit, by the way.”

“Called it!” Klaus exclaimed.

“Understatement of the year.” You said to Ben. Ben chuckled.

“I should’ve listened to the old man.” Five continued, opening the fridge. “You know, jumping through space is one thing, jumping through time is a toss of the dice.” He looked up at Klaus. “Nice dress.”

“Wait, how did you get back?” Vanya asked.

“In the end, I had to protect my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time.”

Everyone looked confused. “And you got the equations wrong.” You muttered, looking down at your hands.

“That makes no sense.” Diego said.

“Well, it would if you were smarter.”

Diego immediately stood up, ready to attack. Luther put his arm out. “How long were you there?”

“Forty-five years. Give or take.” Five answered.

“Felt way longer.” You added.

Luther and Diego sat down and everyone’s faces were in varying degrees of shocked. “So what are you saying? That you’re 58?”

“No,” Five looked up, “my consciousness is 58. Apparently, my body is now 13 again.”

“Wait, how does that even work?” Vanya asked.

“Delores and Y/N both kept saying the equations were off.” Five said, looking away with his sandwich. “Eh.” He bit his sandwich. “Bet they’re laughing now.”

“Not laughing.” You said. Despite being dead and no one really being able to hear you, you always found yourself talking to Five. It was natural.

“Wait, Y/N?” Allison asked.

Five sighed. “I ended up bringing them with me to the future.”

“What happened to them?” Klaus said softly.

You marched over to him and leaned in front of him. Klaus looked straight through you. “You’d know if you weren’t high!”

Ben scoffed. “He’ll come down later.”

Five looked down. “They died.” You knew he blamed himself, but there was really nothing he could have done. Old age mixed with the apocalypse does that to a person. You sighed and rested your head against the table.

“So what actually happened?” Ben asked.

You looked up at him. “I got old.” You laughed and walked back over to him. “I was walking to the store one day and saw Five appear out of nowhere. So I chased after him.” You chuckled and looked down at your hands. “Next thing I know, we’re in the future.” You squeezed your eyes shut as if to get rid of the memory. “Everything was destroyed. Fire everywhere. No survivors.”

Ben’s cold hand grabbed yours. “You’re back now.”

“Five was always determined to stop it. He wanted so badly to save everyone.” You squeezed his hand. “Burying our siblings is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I can’t imagine what it was like for Five, being so young.”

“Well, I’m glad your back.”

You smiled and pulled him into a hug. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted on [my Tumblr account](https://fanoftheimagines.tumblr.com/).   
> [Series Masterlist](https://fanoftheimagines.tumblr.com/post/627195974205440000/the-veil-series-masterlist) on Tumblr.  
> [Buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/fanoftheimagines) and support what I do?


	2. The Giggle at a Funeral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being back causes a lot of old memories to resurface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Apocalypse, abuse, death, violence  
> 1x01  
> A/N: Flashbacks are in italics.  
> A/N: Yes, all the titles are inspired by Hozier songs.

Five left the room with an eye roll after talking about Dad’s death. You honestly didn’t know what he expected. Luther and Diego were always at each other’s throats. It had been like that when you were kids. It had been like that after he left. It had been like that after Ben died. It had been like that up until you left. Why would they change just because their long lost brother returned?

You were leaning against Ben’s chest. His arms were wrapped around your waist. You watched him leave with a frown. You sighed and sagged against him. You could already feel the familiar tug in your chest.

“I have to go.” You whispered to him. The tug was pulling harder in your chest now.

Ben hummed and squeezed you tighter before releasing you. “Go. I’ll see you later.”

You gave him a small smile and turned around in his arms. The tug was almost painful now. “Love you, Benny.” You pressed a quick kiss to his forehead. Then, you gave in to the tug.

* * *

You found Five in the living room. He was dressed in an old Academy uniform. Like the one he used to wear when he could still fit in it. You sighed and flopped down on the couch. He was staring up at his large portrait hanging over the fireplace.

“Wonder if the old man did anything like that for me?” You muttered.

Five didn’t respond. Like always. Instead, he pulled out an old, folded up Polaroid photo from his jacket pocket, and unfolded it with extreme care. He looked down at it with sad eyes and a small smile. The picture wasn’t anything amazing. The background was apocalyptic grey and orange. Two figures smiled widely at the camera. Your arm was wrapped around Five’s shoulders as you pulled him into you. Your hair was ratted and your skin was coated with ash. Goggles were resting on your head and your masks were hanging around your necks. But you both looked happy. You smiled. You remembered that day clearly. One of the few good memories you had.

_You’d been scavenging what was probably some sort of house or apartment building when you found it. A Polaroid camera. A large smile grew on your face. You gave it a quick glance over. It looked functional enough. But you needed to be sure._

_You scanned around for your favorite little brother. He was bent down, digging through a pile of rubble a bit of a ways away. His brown mask was covering his mouth and his goggles were resting on his head. You raised the camera up to your eye and pointed it at him. “Hey, Five!” You yelled at him. He looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Say cheese!”_

_Before he could say or do anything, you snapped the photo. The camera went off with a flash. The picture printed out and you quickly grabbed it and shook._

_“Is that a camera?” Five asked, walking through the rubble over to you._

_“Mhmm. And it works.” You smiled. The picture started to appear slowly. You held it like it was precious. Because, well, it was. It had such beautiful colors. The yellows and oranges and reds of the ashy sky, the bright colors of Five’s figure, the browns and greys of the rubble. You smiled. “It’s amazing.”_

_Five came around to your side and peered over you. “Is that really what I look like?” He asked._

_You laughed. “Well, I think you look pretty good considering.”_

_Five rolled his eyes and pulled the camera from your hands. “Your turn, E.” He laughed. You laughed, pulled your mask down, and struck a silly posed at him. A special kind of joy filled your chest. The kind of thing you only felt on occasion with Five. The camera flashed and Five shook the photo._

_Truth be told, you looked kinda awful, but better than you should’ve in the middle of an apocalyptic wasteland._

_“Let’s take one together.” You said, pulling him into you._

Footsteps alerted you to someone walking in. Five quickly folded the photo and put it back in his pocket. Vanya walked slowly into the room. You tried to suppress what lingering anger you had for her. Now wasn’t the time to stir up old feelings.

“Nice to know Dad didn’t forget me.” Five said as she approached him. She looked him up and down as he turned around to face her. “We read your book, by the way. Found it in a library that was still standing.” He paused and walked around her. “I thought it was pretty good, all things considered. Y/N was pissed, that’s for sure. Yeah, definitely ballsy, giving up the family secrets.” He paused and looked at her. “Sure that went over well.”

“They hate me.” Vanya replied.

“Oh, there are worse things that can happen.”

“You mean like what happened to Ben?” Vanya asked.

Five stopped. His face gave off slight hints of the sadness sitting in his chest. You could always tell. “Was it bad? Y/N never told me.”

Vanya nodded. Five looked down and away. What happened to Ben was something you’d never tell him. It was just too horrible. It seemed Vanya had the same idea. And for that, you were thankful.

* * *

Rain poured down on the courtyard. The heavy drops fell through you with blue light. You sat on the stone edge of the ugly statue of Ben. The man himself sat next to you. His hood was up and his eyes were closed. It was nice seeing him again. It had been so long – you didn’t even want to try to count how many years. It’d make you too sad – since you’d seen him. He looked older, but was still the same old Ben, if not a bit more bitter.

The door opened and the rest of the family filed in. Everyone but Diego and Luther stood under black umbrellas, spare Klaus whose umbrella was clear and pink-rimmed. Five was standing next to Klaus and Allison. You wanted nothing more than to hug him. To hold him. To pull him against you and carry him like you did when he was young like this – with him on your hip or resting on your back as you walked through the ash-covered wasteland. You forced your gaze away.

“Why did you stay?” Ben asked suddenly.

You turned your gaze to him. “I can’t abandon him. I’ll stick with him till the end… And beyond.”

Ben nodded. “I understand.” His gaze shifted to Klaus. “I can’t either.”

You watched in vague interest as Luther dumped Dad’s ashes on the ground. Klaus winced. Five didn’t react. “Probably would’ve been better with some wind.” Luther said with a bit of a grimace.

“Does anyone wish to speak?” Pogo asked. You looked at his back. You hoped he was well. No one said anything in response to his query. “Very well.” He then began to give a semi-moving eulogy.

You sighed and leaned your head against Ben’s shoulder. “This is boring.” You muttered.

Ben hummed. “It probably won’t last long. This _is_ our family we’re talking about.”

“He leaves behind a complicated legacy-“ Pogo continued.

“He was a monster.” Diego suddenly interrupted. Klaus laughed. “He was a bad person and a worse father. The world’s better off without him.”

You rolled your eyes and glanced up at Ben. “Why are you always right?”

Ben laughed. “It’s a gift.”

“My name is Number Two” Diego continued. “You know why? Because our father couldn’t be bothered to give us actual names. He had Mom do it.” Your eyes wandered back to Five. You never truly minded your number. Five always used to call you “E” or “Eightie”. Sure, you liked your name, but your number was special to you too. It was one of the few things you didn’t hate your father for. You couldn’t imagine Five with any other name, anyway.

“Would anyone like something to eat?” Mom asked absentmindedly. You frowned. Was something wrong with her circuitry?

“No, it’s okay, Mom.” Vanya said softly.

“Oh, okay.” She smiled mechanically.

Diego walked toward the center of the half-circle. “Look, you wanna pay your respects, go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was.” He was pointing for emphasis like he’d always done when he was angry and trying to make a point.

“You should stop talking right now.” Luther growled.

You heavy sighed and got up from your spot. “Here we go again.” You strolled through the rain over to Klaus and Five as Diego and Luther began to fight. You hummed a tune you used to sing all the time in the future and sat on the stone bench behind your two favorite brothers.

“After everything he did to you, he had to ship you a million miles away.” Diego continued to argue.

“Diego. Stop. Talking.” Luther said through clenched teeth.

“That’s how much he couldn’t stand the sight of you!” Diego shouted and pushed against Luther’s chest.

Luther swung a fist. Diego dodged and threw his own punch. Everyone moved back. Klaus pushed Five back behind him with an outstretched arm. Five scowled and smacked his arm down. The fight continued, despite everyone screaming at them to stop.

“I don’t have time for this.” Five said and walked inside. You watched him silently as he left. Oh how much you wanted to just talk to him again. To hug him again. God, you hated being dead.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Diego was standing in front of Ben’s statue. Luther ran up to punch him. Diego dodged his first and Luther’s fist phased through Ben and hit the statue. It fell to the ground with a resounding thud. The head cracked off and bounced to the ground.

“And there goes Ben’s statue.” Allison said in disappointment. Klaus’ breath hitched and his eyes flittered over to where Ben sat.

Ben was scowling at his brothers, stood up, and walked over to sit next to you and Klaus, who had now moved to the stone bench too.

“Sorry about your statue.” You said.

“It doesn’t even look like me.” He grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at the fallen metal.

“At least you got something.” You muttered bitterly. It seemed Dad didn’t even care about you after you disappeared. It’s not like you were actively living in the Academy or fighting as his superhero puppet, so why would he care? Sure, you were bitter. It didn’t seem like any of your family, bar Five, Ben, and Klaus, even cared about your disappearance and subsequent death. It saddened you to your core that no one really cared. You’d done everything you could to get back, even posthumously and they, apparently, gave up that quickly on you.

Ben ignored your comment. “Besides, at least they didn’t kill each other.” You chuckled. Yeah, at least.

“Diego, no!” Vanya yelled. You turned your attention back to the two oafs fighting just in time to see Diego throw a knife at Luther. It grazed his arm. Luther gasped and clutched his arm.

You sighed. “What were you saying?”

Luther ran inside and Vanya went over to talk with Diego. Klaus sat next to you, but didn’t say a word. You weren’t quite sure he was even aware of your presence. As Diego brought Mom inside, Klaus stood up and walked over to the ashes. A tug pulled on you.

Klaus squatted next to the ashes, cigarette in-hand. “I bet you’re loving this. Hmm?” He said quietly. “The team at its best. It’s just like old times.” Then, he put his cigarette out in the pile and stood up. He looked over at Ben and smiled. “Best funeral ever!”

* * *

_17 Years Ago._

_You stood in your green exercise uniform at the bottom of the staircase. Your siblings were crowded around you. You all looked up at your father. He was writing in that stupid red book of his. Vanya stood by his side, stopwatch in hand. You took a deep breath and mentally prepared yourself for the day’s brutal training._

_The whistle blew. In an instant, you were all scrambling to get up the stairs the fastest. Luther pulled up ahead, like always. Diego wasn’t too far behind. You ran as fast as you could, just barely behind Klaus._

_A familiar sound and flash of Five teleporting went off just above you. “That’s not fair. Five’s cheating!” Diego yelled._

_“He adapted.” Your father’s cold voice responded._

* * *

_The pain of a tattoo hurt more than anything you’d ever experienced. Allison and Klaus stood next to you. Tears were running down their cheeks – just like yours. Klaus had Allison pulled against him and rubbed the tears away with his free arm. You held your freshly tattooed arm close to your chest. You were rubbing small, comforting circles into Klaus’ back. You had to ignore the tears that streamed down your face. You had to be strong._

_Diego was groaning in the chair. The buzzing of that goddamn machine was going to haunt you. Even Luther looked scared, and he was always so confident. It always made you feel better, how confident he could be. Ben looked downright terrified. So did Five. You locked eyes with him and tried your best to wordlessly make him feel a bit better._

* * *

_The announcement that the Capital West Bank was being robbed meant the perfect debut for the Umbrella Academy. At least that’s what Dad said. The six of you snuck in through the back. Luther went up to the roof. You and the others snuck down the halls to where the robbers were._

_The alarm was blaring. The man just inside the teller area was yelling into a walkie-talkie. “Now you’ve put me in a position where I’ve got to do something I don’t want to do.”_

_Allison smiled and skipped out to the man. You watched quietly next to the others. Klaus was on your left. Five on your right. Ben was next to Five, looking just as nervous as you felt. Your hands were shaking. As much as you’d trained, your nerves were killing you. What if something went wrong? You’re supposed to be a shield, a protector._

_A hand slipped into yours and squeezed. Five. You took a deep breath. You got this._

_Gunshots rang out. Five pulled his hand out of yours. And you turned your attention back to the matter at hand. Luther fell from the ceiling, glass shattering around him as he fell onto a robber’s back. He grabbed the man’s head and slammed it against the counter and throwing him out the window._

_Diego ran out next. You were standing nearby, watching for any signs of danger. “Guns are for sissies. Real men throw knives.” He shouted. His knives flew through the air toward you and Allison. They turned sharply and landed in the man to his right._

_A robber on your left raised his gun, aimed at Allison. You held your hand out and slammed a force field into him. It hit him with a thunk and he fell to the ground unconscious. The man Allison rumored jumped onto the teller counter. Klaus, Diego, you, and Allison circled him as he pointed his gun at you. “G-get back you freaks!” He threatened, swinging his gun back and forth._

_“Hey, be careful up there buddy.” Diego taunted._

_“Get back now!”_

_“Yeah, wouldn’t want you to get hurt.” Allison added with a laugh._

_“Or what?” Five landed cross-legged next to the man. The man turned and immediately unloaded his gun where Five was just in. Five reappeared behind him, arms crossed and smirk on his face. The man turned and moved to fire again. Only this time, his gun was gone. “Ooh! That’s one badass stapler!” Five said before shoving it into the man’s head. He fell off the desk unconscious._

_“Let’s get them out of here. Y/N, go get Ben.”.” Luther said, motioning toward the hostages. You nodded and walked back behind the wall to where Ben was waiting. The others walked over to the hostages and started un-taping them._

_Ben was stared up at you when you came around the corner. His hands were shaking. “Is it time?” He whispered._

_You nodded and grabbed his hand. “You’ll be fine, Benny-boy. Promise.” You pulled him into side hug. “You’ve got this.” Together, you came around the corner to the others._

_“Do we really have to do this?” Ben asked as he walked toward the glass door, shuffling nervously in his place._

_“Come on, Ben. There’s more guys in the vault.” Luther encouraged._

_Ben sighed and moved toward the door. “I didn’t sign up for this.” He mumbled before going inside. It was silent for a minute. Then the shadows of Ben’s tentacles appeared and a roar sounded. Screams echoed from the closed room. The hostages ran away screaming at the sight. The tentacles writhed around and blood splattered against the blurred windows._

_With one final roar, the tentacles disappeared and Ben opened the door. He was soaked head to toe in blood. “Can we go home now?”_

_You frowned and threw your arm his bloody shoulders. “Good job, Ben.”_

_Luther smiled slightly and nodded before leading everyone outside. The hostages were long gone. The robbers were all either dead or unconscious. Arm still slung around Ben’s shoulders, you pulled him through the hallway. Five stopped and waited for you to catch up to him. He smiled and grabbed your hand. Five, Six, and Eight. The perfect team. You smiled widely at him. He pulled you, and consequently Ben, through the front doors of the bank._

_Luther, Diego, and Allison were already lined up along the stairs when you walked out. Cameras flashed and people yelled questions. You giggled as Klaus leaned against Five. You let go of his hand and moved to Ben’s other side, so you were in numerical order. It felt like you did good today._

* * *

You watched Five from the kitchen table. You were bored out of your mind as he searched the shelves for coffee. It’d been an annoying addiction of his since he joined the Commission.

Klaus sat next to you, his feet on the table and holding a guitar to his chest. Ben sat across the table from you, reading a book.

“Where’s Vanya?” Allison suddenly asked.

“Oh, she’s gone.” Klaus responded.

Five walked over, French press in-hand. “That’s unfortunate.”

“Yeah.”

“An entire square block. 42 bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, but no, not a single drop of coffee.” Five continued. You rolled your eyes and looked over Allison. She looked amazing. Life had definitely treated her better than the rest of you. You just hoped she was happy.

“Dad hated caffeine.” She replied.

“Well, he hated children, too, and he had plenty of us.” Klaus laughed sarcastically.

Five looked down at the table. You knew that face. Sighing, you stood and walked around the table to grab his arm. “I’m taking the car.”

“Where are you going?” Klaus asked, sitting up straight and looking concerned.

“To get a decent cup of coffee.”

“Do you even know how to drive?” Allison asked.

“I know how to do everything.” Five responded angrily. He turned around and spatial jumped, pulling you with him similar to how you disappeared all those years ago.

* * *

He drove you to Griddy’s Doughnuts. You smiled up at the familiar sign. Five walked in like a man on a mission. You mumbled under your breath and quickly followed him. The pull on your chest always got uncomfortable if he got too far away. It made sense. You were haunting him, after all. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying at best.

Five was already at a seat at the counter when you walked in. You hopped on the counter and swung your legs. Your knee felt amazing, not in chronic pain anymore. It was fantastic. It had stopped hurting when you died, sure, but something about being in your younger body was so satisfying.

A trucker was sitting next to Five. A waitress in a bright pink uniform that read “Agnes” in white cursive letters on it walked out of the back room. “Sorry, sink was clogged.” She said with a chuckle. She pulled a pen out of her pocket. “So, what’ll it be?”

“Uh, give me a chocolate éclair.” The trucker said.

“Mm-hmm. Sure.” She wrote down his order. “Can I get the kid a glass of milk or something?” She asked.

Five’s eyes squinted. Uh oh. He always hated it when you called him young, even when he was. You couldn’t imagine his reaction now, in a young body with an old mind. He scoffed. “The kid wants coffee. Black.” He said.

“Cute kid.” Agnes chuckled, looking at the trucker again. She looked back over at him and a large fake grin spread over Five’s features. That seemed to get Agnes moving. “Okay.” She then turned started getting everything together.

Five turned to the trucker. “Don’t remember this place being such a shithole. I used to come here as a kid.” The man looked confused. “Used to sneak out with my brothers and sisters and eat doughnuts till we puked.” A small smile crept onto your face. Those were old, happy memories in a sea of bad ones. It wasn’t often you thought about your childhood, for obvious reasons, but you would give anything to be able to do that again. “Simpler times, huh?”

“Eh. I suppose.” The trucker got out, totally baffled. You snorted.

Agnes came back over and set the cup of coffee and the éclair down in front of them. When she handed Five his coffee, she had a shocked look on her face.

“I got his.” The trucker told her, holding out some cash.

Five took a sip. “Thanks.”

You sighed and laid down across the counter, your left leg still hanging off the side. Five talked with the trucker about finding the address for that department store you found Delores at back in the early days of the apocalypse. Maybe she’d be able to talk some sense into him. Lord knew he couldn’t listen to you. You heavy sighed and closed your eyes. If only Klaus was sober.

The door opened as the trucker left.

Not even a minute later, the door opened again. You lazily cracked your eye open and glanced toward the door. Shit. You bolted up. A dozen or so armed men. Looked like Commission mercenaries if you ever saw them.

Five was staring at the reflection of the bell in front of him. “Hmm. That was fast. I thought I’d have more time before they found me.” He said.

“You didn’t take out your tracker!” You yelled, sitting up.

“Okay.” The man pointing a gun directly at your younger brother’s head said. “So let’s all be professional about this, yeah? On your feet and come with us. They want to talk.”

“I’ve got nothing to say.” Five’s eyes were locked on the butter knife in front of him. You stood up and clenched your fists as if you could actually do anything. This was going to be bloody.

“It doesn’t have to go this way. You think I want to shoot a kid? Go home with that on my conscience?”

“Well,” Five sighed, “I wouldn’t worry about that.” He looked up at the man. “You won’t be going home.”

He grabbed the knife and disappeared. He reappeared behind him and stabbed him in the neck. Gunfire went off. Five disappeared. Blue light surrounded you as bullets pierced your form.

Five reappeared, leaning casually atop a table. “Hey, assholes!”

They turned to him and fired. But he was gone again. You rolled your eyes. He was just teasing them at this point. Playing with his food.

He reappeared by the front door and knocked on the glass to get their attention. The man turned around. Five saluted him and disappeared just before the man started firing.

Five appeared in the back of Griddy’s this time. He broke the handle of a mop, jumped, and stabbed it into the closest man’s side. Then, he jumped again and used his tie to choke the second man.

He stabbed the next with a pencil in the leg. Threw a plate at the last. He pulled the pencil out and jammed it into his eye. Two men stood back up and started running at him, so he ran between them and jumped.

They shot each other and collapsed. Five reappeared. He was breathing heavily. He pulled his tie from around the man’s neck and put it back on.

“Show off.” You said, sitting back at the bar.

Movement and grunting made you turn your head. Five walked over to the man who was barely alive. Mop guy, you think? And with a simple twist, snapped his neck.

He held up a tracking device. “Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted on [my Tumblr account](https://fanoftheimagines.tumblr.com/).   
> [Series Masterlist](https://fanoftheimagines.tumblr.com/post/627195974205440000/the-veil-series-masterlist) on Tumblr.  
> [Buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/fanoftheimagines) and support what I do?


	3. Hope in Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Five recall memories of the apocalypse and Klaus finally comes down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Abuse (Reginald, duh), anxiety, apocalypse (survival and everything that comes with it), drugs (Klaus)  
> 1x01 & 1x02  
> A/N: Everything in the past is in italics.  
> A/N: Sorry this took so long. Thanks for being patient.

You were leaning up against the window sill in Vanya’s living room. Five was sitting in the dark in the chair just in front of you, waiting for a dramatic entry no doubt. The sound of keys in the lock alerted you to Vanya’s return.

She opened the door and reached for the light switch. Five turned his light on first, causing Vanya to jump. “Jesus!”

“You should have locks on your windows.” Five said calmly, like he didn’t break into the apartment of the woman who told the world your secrets.

“I live on the second floor.” She replied, putting her keys on the radiator.

“Rapists can climb.” Five said. You knew he worried about her, more than the others more often than not. You never did find her body, so he’d always held on hope. Until hope was lost, that is.

“You are so weird.” She shut the door and sat on the couch. “Is that blood?”

Five’s white collar was splattered with blood. It almost shocked you. He was normally so clean with his kills. Although you supposed his newfound body was throwing him for a bit of a loop. You just tried not to think about it, if you were being honest. It’s not that you didn’t enjoy your young body, but it would matter more if you were alive. Being dead meant you didn’t feel the ache of your knees and the tightness in your shoulder and the pain in your back. Even old, it all melted away in your spectral form. So reverting back to a body before all that didn’t affect you as much as it affected Five. It must feel quite strange to be able to not feel so… so… _old_.

“Why me?” Vanya asked, dragging your attention back to the conversation at hand. Apparently being a ghost made you lose track of time a lot.

“Because you’re ordinary.” Five paused and watched Vanya’s face twitch with sadness. “Because you’ll listen.”

She looked over him before muttering and getting up.

She returned not too later with some gauze, tape, and rubbing alcohol. Five pulled his sleeve up to reveal his frustratingly messy napkin-bandage after he cut his tracker out. She inhaled sharply as she looked it over. Then, she started to clean the blood that stuck to his skin.

“When Y/N and I jumped forward and got stuck in the future,” Five started, “do you know what we found?”

“No.”

“Nothing.” His lip quivered. “Absolutely nothing. As far as I could tell we were the last people left alive. I never figured out what killed the human race, but… I did find something else.” Five paused. “The date it happens.” You sighed and shook your head at the reappearing memories. “The world ends in eight days, and I have no idea how to stop it.”

Vanya sat there stunned for a moment. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes fixed on the time traveler across from her. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”

* * *

The day Five disappeared was one of the clearest memories you had of your childhood. Traumatic events like that seemed to stick like glue in your head. No matter how much you wanted to forget them.

_Dinner was served at the exact same time every day. The routine was the exact same every day. Mom set the record before ringing the bell. You each came down the stairs in relative line, dressed in our uniforms, of course. You filled around the table to your seats. Your seat was next to Ben at the end of the table. You weren’t at the end, even though you were Number Eight because Vanya didn’t have powers._

_Dad’s haunting footsteps echoed through the house and caused your grip on the top of your chair to tighten. He came from behind you and moved to his seat. He pulled out his seat. “Sit.” He commanded._

_Everyone quickly moved to sit in their seats and begin eating. Ben was holding his book out, reading as you ate. Your leg was bouncing with anxiety. Dad’s presence always made you feel on-edge. Like you needed your shield up to protect you and your siblings. But that wasn’t allowed._

_You fiddled with your food a bit, trying to push your nerves down enough to eat. The last time you didn’t, you passed out during training and got punished._

_Five stabbing the table caused you to jump. Your eyes were wide and your anxiety started to go through the roof._ Uh oh.

_“Number Five?” Dad asked._

_“I have a question.”_

_“Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules. No talking during mealtimes.” You looked at Five. Fear settled in your gut. There was no way Five wasn’t going to get punished for talking. No way. You ached to protect him. That was your job. “You are interrupting Herr Carlson.”_

_Five threw his plate into yours. You jumped and grabbed onto your arm rests. It took everything in you to keep your shield down. Powers weren’t allowed at mealtimes._

_“I want to time travel.”_

_“No.” Dad’s voice was condescending. It only made Five angrier._

_“But I’m ready. I’ve been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said.” He pushed out of his chair and stood up._

_Ben had put his book down, his thumb holding his page. You touched your foot against his, since you couldn’t hold his occupied hand. He looked over at you. He didn’t smile, but his eyes let you know that everything would be okay._

_Five spatial jumped to Dad. “See?” A feeling in your gut said that everything was not going to be okay._

_“A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel.” The others continued eating as Five got lectured. But your stomach was so twisted with anxiety, any appetite you’d had was completely out the window. “One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn.”_

_“Well, I don’t get it.” Five’s voice was quieter, but none the less frustrated._

_“Hence the reason you’re not ready.”_

_You couldn’t tear your eyes away from the spot Five once sat. “I’m not afraid.” Five argued._

_“Fear isn’t the issue. The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable.” Dad looked up at Five angrily. “Now, I forbid you to talk about this anymore.”_

_There was a heavy beat of silence. Then Five turned to the hallway. “Number Five!” Dad yelled. Five’s footsteps echoed through the foyer as he ran around the corner. “You haven’t been excused!”_

_Everyone glanced back to watch him leave. Everyone but you. A few tears slipped down your cheeks and you took in a shaky breath. Before anyone, especially Dad, could notice, you wiped the tears away and held back any sobs that wanted so desperately to pass your lips._

_“Come back here!”_

_The door slammed shut._

* * *

_The sky was dark brown with dust and ash. The dust storm, which had been brewing in the distance for a few hours now, had finally reached your shelter. Five was tucked against your side, his face pressed protectively against the skin of your neck. Dust pounded against your force field with each gust of wind. With every hit, the force field echoed a haunting thump, like a bird hitting a window. The whistle of the harsh wind outside your protective bubble was driving you crazy, but all you could do was sit there and endure it._

_You pulled Five closer to you. Your arms were wrapped tightly against him, afraid if his skin left yours, you’d lose him in the falling ash outside._

_All you wanted to you was rest, but any lapse in your concentration and you’d be lost to the apocalypse. Your family’s frozen, dead faces flashed through your mind. You spared a glance at Five._ Never him. I won’t allow it.

* * *

_The sun had fallen beyond the horizon a few hours ago. You and Five were hunkered down in the small camp you had established in an old library in the city. Parts of the circular pillars outlining the entryway were still standing and made the perfect place for a semi-permanent camp. You’d built a covered area behind a few of the pillars. The roof was scrap metal and plastic sheets. The sides were stone, plastic sheets, and scrapes of sewn-together fabric. A campfire sat in the middle of the uncovered area. The camp was small, but that made it easy to protect with a force field. It wasn’t the greatest, most put-together camp, but it allowed you to sleep peacefully._

_Five was lying on an old ratty sleeping bag as close to the fire as he could safely get. Delores was tucked comfortably against his chest. He always looked so young and relaxed when he slept. It always reminded you of before he disappeared. Of course, the older he got, the less he looked so similar, but the resemblance was still there._

_Careful not to wake him, you walked around him and sat near his feet. The fire’s warmth felt good against your skin. It was a particularly cold night, with a cruel wind making the already cold air even colder. The two of you had bundled up as best you could, but the cold still bit through the holey gloves and light jackets. Your tired mind couldn’t summon a force field to shield you even if you tried._

_A gust of wind blew through the circular camp. A shiver ran through you and you pulled your threadbare dark green blanket closer around your shoulders. You glanced over at your little brother. He was shivering under the faded red sleeping bag._

_You frowned and stood. As you walked over to his sleeping form, you pulled your blanket from around your shoulders. Then, you shook the blanket out a bit and laid it over his stretched out body. Carefully, you tucked some of it around his neck and head so he wouldn’t get too cold._

_Sure, you’d be cold tonight, but you could handle it if Five was okay._

* * *

_After a long day of scavenging, you and Five trudged into the camp. Five dropped the wagon handle, went inside the shelter, and flopped down on the soft sleeping bag. You peered in to make sure he was okay. His eyes were closed, his breathing was steady, his body lax. You smiled and sighed._

_It had been quite the day. You didn’t blame him for being exhausted. You’d been in the apocalypse for a number of years already (Five was keeping track in an old notebook, you didn’t bother remembering), so you had to go out further and further for resources. The last scavenging trip had taken you further than you’d ever been, but you managed to find plenty of food and other supplies, so you wouldn’t have to go out again for a little bit._

_Exhaustion sat heavy in your bones. You wanted nothing more than to curl up next to Five and be dead to the world. Your hip and back ached from all the walking and you were sure that if you didn’t rest soon, they’d give out on you._

_With a tired sigh, you pulled your trusty backpack from your weary shoulders and set it just inside the shelter. Then, you pulled the wagon slowly over to your little storage area next to the shelter. As much as the supplies needed to be put away, everything inside you just screamed for rest._

_So, you secured a tarp over the red wagon and went back to your cozy little shelter. Five was snoring by the time you walked in. A fond smile spread over your face. Despite how annoying he could be, he truly was adorable when he was asleep._

_The sleeping bag was soft and welcoming underneath you as you sat down. Just as you were about to fall back, hunger hit you like a train. It had been a few days since you’d eaten much of anything; you guess you’d just forgotten. It was surprising Five hadn’t yelled at you. He was really good about making sure you took care of yourself. Almost as good as you were about him._

_You let out a soft groan, as not to disturb Five. Your legs shook as you stood back up. You rummaged lazily through your backpack until you pulled out a banged up can of what was probably peaches. You made quick work of the lid. Glorious peaches stared back at you. Sure, they were an off gold color, but they looked like caviar in your hunger-riddled mind._

_You dug in with your fingers and quickly slurped them down. When you finally pulled away, half the can was gone. Your stomach was mostly satisfied though, even with how little you’d actually eaten. If there was one thing about living in the apocalypse, it was learning to live with some amount of hunger._

_You set the can on the table next to Five’s bed, the lid covering it from spoiling overnight hopefully. Five would be hungry in the morning. It was the least you could do after the day he’d had._

* * *

_The piles of rubble throughout the city were quite large in the downtown part of the city. When the skyscrapers fell, the rubble piles were so close together that it made long endless piles of old buildings. They were a pain in the ass to scavenge since the stones were heavy to push aside and thoroughly search._

_You and Five walked up to what you thought was an old corner drug store. You stopped as you approached the rubble. Five climbed up on the first piece and extended his hand. You placed your hand in his and he pulled you up with very little effort on his part. Your knees ached as you climbed up onto the rock._

_You weren’t as young as you used to be and the apocalypse certainly didn’t help with that. Five was as healthy as a young man could be in the end of the world, that you made sure of, but the world wasn’t as kind to you. Your knees were what had taken the worst of it. That and your right shoulder, but that was more from the accident years ago than anything wear and tear related to age._

_Five’s hand didn’t leave yours as he guided you through the maze of fallen buildings. You kept walking through, your eyes scanning through, looking for anything salvageable. You took another shaky step._

_Your knee went weak. Your body collapsed at the sudden loss. A small scream left you. Your eyes clenched and you readied yourself for pain. But it never came._

_“Woah, I gotcha.” Five gasped, pulling you against his chest mid-fall. You took in a sharp breath and clung to him, allowing him to take the brunt of your body weight. Your knees hated you. Definitely hated you. “You okay?”_

_You shook your head against his shoulder. “My knee.”_

_“Shit.” Five whispered. “Okay, okay.” He glanced around for a second. Then, he slid an arm around your shoulder and shifted his hold on you. “Let’s sit down.” With shaky steps and mostly relying on Five to keep you upright, he helped you over to a mostly flat beam of concrete. “How bad is it?”_

_You shrugged and prodded at the useless joint. “I just need some rest, I think.”_

_“Okay, I’ll be within shouting distance.” Five said. He lifted his goggles and pulled down his mask. “Love you, Eightie.” He quickly pecked your forehead before turning to leave._

_“Love you too, Five.”_

* * *

“We survived on scraps.” Five said solemnly. His coffee mug was held in his hand and he was leaning forward with his leg resting on his knee. “Canned food, cockroaches, anything we could find.” He chuckled dryly.

“Rodents.” You added offhandedly.

“You know that rumor that Twinkies have an endless shelf life?” Five continued, ignoring your existence. “Well, it’s total bullshit.”

“I did warn you. You just didn’t listen because you were a stubborn teenager.” You commented with a bit of a laugh.

“I can’t even imagine.” Vanya whispered. You were surprised at how well she was taking this.

“You do whatever it takes to survive, or you die.” Five paused. “So we adapted. Whatever the world threw at us, we found a way to overcome it.”

“We? You mean Y/N, right?” Vanya asked.

“You got anything stronger?” Five asked, holding up his coffee mug. You rolled your eyes. The drinking may have been your fault – and the apocalypse, mind you – but that didn’t mean the excessive drinking was something you approved of.

Vanya muttered and got up. In the kitchen, she pulled out a bottle and poured it into a plastic cup before handing it to Five. She poured herself a glass, too.

Five took a sip before looking her over. He scoffed. “You think I’m crazy.”

“I warned you, but no.” You mumbled, pushing yourself onto the counter.

“No… It’s just…” She stumbled, “it’s a lot to take in.”

“No shit.” You said.

“Exactly what don’t you understand?” Five said frustrated.

“Why didn’t you just time travel back?” She asked innocently.

You and Five both scoffed. “Gee, wish I’d thought of that.”

“Time travel is a crapshoot.” Five continued. “I went into the ice and never acorn-ed.” You let out a dry laugh at the reference. “You think I didn’t try everything to get back to my family?” His voice went quiet.

Vanya nodded a little. “If you grew old there, you know, in the apocalypse,” Five squinted at her, most likely already sensing where this was going, “how come you still look like a kid?”

Five scoffed and shook his head. “I told you already.” He walked over to you and poured himself some more. He sighed in either anger or frustration or both. “I must’ve got the equations wrong.”

“I mean, Dad always used to say that time travel could mess with your mind.” Vanya responded.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “THIS WAS A WASTE OF TIME.” You groaned loudly.

“Well, maybe that’s what’s happening?”

Five drank from his glass. “This was a mistake. You’re too young…” He grabbed the eye off the table and made for the door, “too naïve to understand.”

“No. Five… Five, wait.” Vanya rushed desperately. He stopped at the door.

“Can we please just go?” You begged your unhearing little brother.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time, and I don’t want to lose you again. That’s all.” At Vanya’s words, your face softened. You remembered that feeling. The desperation you felt at seeing him again, even in the end of the world. That insatiable need to hold him and keep him safe. The second you let him out of your sight, the panic that he was gone again set in. You didn’t think the others ever felt it. “And you know what, it’s getting late, and I have lessons early, and I need to sleep, and I’m sure you do, too.”

Five watched her quietly as she walked over to the couch and pulled a blanket down for him to use. “We’ll talk in the morning again. Okay? I promise.”

Five stood silently as she walked to her bedroom. The second her door shut, he sat down and pulled out the glass eye.

You sighed and stood up. “You’re not going to get some rest on something actually comfortable, are you?”

* * *

_Whimpering woke you up. It was way into the night at this point and waking up so late – or was it early? - wasn’t pleasant. The whimpering continued. It was just audible from the other side of your wall. The wall you shared with Klaus._

_The thought pulled you out of any sleep clinging to you. Shit, Klaus. Slowly, as if trying to shake any sleep from your limbs, you crawled out of bed._

_It was so late your dad must have been long asleep. If he even slept. Mom was certainly charging and Pogo was definitely in bed. So, careful not to hit any creaks, you snuck out into the hallway and to the door next to yours. You crept down the hallway as silently as you could. It was easy, with all of Dad’s stupid training. You reached Klaus’ door in no time – it was right next door. With a soft knock, you opened the door._

_“Klaus?” You whispered as you walked in._

_Your brother’s whimper answered back._

_Your eyes hadn’t quite adjusted to the darkness, but you still made your way through the messy room to the bed. When you reached the bed, you nudged Klaus, who was trembling something awful and begging the spirits to leave him alone._

_“Klaus? Hey, wake up.” You nudged his arm slightly again._

_His eyes flew open and took in a sharp breath. “Y/N?” He whimpered in fear._

_You sat on the very edge of the bed and rested your hand on his sweaty arm. “Yeah, Klausy, it’s me. I’m here.”_

_“The ghosts…” Tears were pouring down the sides of his face._

_“I know, I know.” You pulled him into a hug and allowed your shield to surround the two of you. “I’ve got you, see? You’re safe.”_

_Klaus clung to you. The force at which he was holding onto you almost made your chest ache. Klaus sobbed freely into your shoulder. Your pajama shirt was wet with his tears. Not that that mattered. Your hands were resting on his back, rubbing up and down in an attempt to soothe him._

_His nightmares had been worse since Dad started taking him out for “special training” at night. Klaus never wanted to speak about it, but you knew from experience that “special training” and “individual training” always meant something torturous and horrible. Dad was never kind, especially if you were scared or hurt._

_Klaus continued to sob. You shushed him and began to rock your crying brother. Softly, you began to hum a song Mom had taught you. The melody was soft and slow, meant to soothe and calm. She always sang it to you when you were younger and got scared or sad. Hopefully, it had the same effect on Klaus._

_Slowly, his breathing evened out and his sobs quieted. “Thank you.” He whispered before burying his face into your neck._

* * *

You were sitting on the sofa just next to the one Klaus was lying on. Five was upstairs doing god-knows-what. Your connection spread just thin enough to allow you to watch Klaus as he slept off the drugs he took last night. You and Ben were silently enjoying each other’s presence, just like you used to do. He was reading, you were taking everything in. It’d been a long time since you’d been at the Academy.

“No, no…” A crying cut through the silence. “No, please.” Klaus whimpered. His eyes were still clamped shut and his arms were wrapped around his shirtless torso.

You immediately stood up and knelt by his side. You ran a hand over his forehead in an attempt to clear his face, but your fingertips just flashed blue as they went through his skin. You sighed. Right.

“Klausy, wake up.” You whispered. “It’s okay. I’ve got you, you’re safe now.”

He jumped up suddenly. His breaths were coming in pants, clearly hyperventilating.

“Deep breaths, Klaus. Deep breaths.” You said softly. Your hands hovered over his arm where you would’ve touched him.

He jerked his head to you at the sound of your voice.

“You know you talk in your sleep?” Ben asked from over your shoulder. But he was ignored.

“Y/N?” He panted. His hand was over his chest as he moved to sit on the couch properly.

“Hey, Klaus.” You replied with a small, almost sad smile. God, it hurt to see him like this.

“How are you…?” He whispered, still pretty shaken up from his nightmare. “Five said you died.”

You gave him a look. “You can see ghosts.”

Klaus gave you an equal look as best as he could. “You died in the future, Y/N.”

“Ah.” You rubbed the back of your neck. “Well, I might be slightly haunting Five.”

Klaus raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“The apocalypse is in seven days and I need your help.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted on [my Tumblr account](https://fanoftheimagines.tumblr.com/).  
> [Series Masterlist](https://fanoftheimagines.tumblr.com/post/627195974205440000/the-veil-series-masterlist) on Tumblr.  
> [Buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/fanoftheimagines) and support what I do?

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on [my Tumblr account](https://fanoftheimagines.tumblr.com/).  
> [Series Masterlist](https://fanoftheimagines.tumblr.com/post/627195974205440000/the-veil-series-masterlist) on Tumblr.  
> [Click here](https://fanoftheimagines.tumblr.com/post/641870052684185600/if-you-enjoy-my-writing-and-want-to-support-what-i) to find out how to support me.


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